Favorite 50 Rods & Customs

As we get to the end of our 50th birthday celebration, we think about where rodding has been and how it got to where it is. We think about the hot rods and custom cars that have made a significant impact on this hobby. And being a magazine, we think about how that can be turned into a story. We decided to identify 50 cars that have been especially important to R&C and to rodding in the past 50 years. Of course, everybody on the staff had his own favorite 50 he wanted to see included. As we whittled down the list, we stuck to cars that had appeared in R&C at one time or another, were groundbreaking or trendsetting, or were just so cool that we'll never forget them. Your results may differ. In fact, if they do, tell us. Send us your top picks from 50 years of R&C, and we'll compile a People's Choice list for a future issue. Until then, here are our 50 favorites.

Doane Spencer '32 RoadsterThe famous Doane Spencer roadster established the classic look for a highboy that is still copied today and would be on anybody's list of best rods. It was built and driven daily by Doane before the war. It competed at the lakes, in the grueling Panamerica road race in the old days, and in the first Hot Rod Class at the toney Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in 1998. In between, it went through several modifications before being restored by Pete Chapouris for collector Bruce Meyer.

Bob Hirohata '51 MercUnquestionably the most famous custom of the classic era is Bob Hirohata's '51 Mercury, customized by Sam Barris in 1952. The '53 Buick Riviera trim, custom grille, Caddy hubs, and Lincoln taillights are well known. Bob's trip to Indianapolis in 1953, where the Merc won a major award, was chronicled in R&C. It also appeared in the movie Running Wild. Jim McNiel bought the car off a dealer's lot for $500 in 1959 and restored it. It is still one of the best customs ever.

Bob & Dick Pierson '34 CoupeFifty years from now, the Pierson Brother's three-window coupe will still be on every list of great hot rods. The 9-inch chop was done to improve aerodynamics for land speed racing, same with the Sprint Car nose. The chopped and channeled car was raced by the Piersons and subsequent owners into the '90s. After Bruce Meyer bought it, the coupe was restored to its '50 condition by So-Cal Speed Shop, with help from Bob and Dick Pierson and Bobby Meeks, who built the car's original flathead.

Ed Iskenderian'24 T RoadsterOne of the earliest extant hot rods, Ed's famous roadster was created in 1938. Powered by a bored flathead, the T went 120 mph at El Mirage in the late '40s. The Maxi heads on the modified flattie feature overhead-style exhaust valves under signature valve covers. A Thickstun manifold is fed by triple 97s. Visitors to the NHRA Motorsport Museum in Pomona, California, can view the roadster, which set an appearance and performance standard for all hot rods that followed.

Norm Grabowski'23 T RoadsterNorm Grabowski's channeled '23 T was not only one of the earliest examples of the Fad T look, it helped bring hot rodding to wider audiences by appearing in Life Magazine and on the TV show 77 Sunset Strip. The T was black when it appeared in Hot Rod Magazine in 1955, but the blue paintjob with Dean Jeffries flames is famous. Many Grabowski-inspired T roadsters have been built over the years, including 'glass-bodied '23 bodies from the aftermarket and Norm's own Kookie 2 in recent years.

Nick Matranga '40 MercThe Barris-built Matranga Merc created its own style, which has been mimicked numerous times since is appeared around 1950. The 5-inch chop and sloping hardtop roofline is perfect and was unusual on a fat-fendered car at the time. The side-window treatment showed up later on the Hirohata Merc. When Uncle Sam sent Matranga to Korea, the Barrises sold the car, and it ended up smashed into a telephone pole in 1952. Many copies have been built since then. It's easy to see why.

Ed Roth "Beatnik Bandit"Artist Ed Roth followed the success of the Outlaw with the Beatnik Bandit, which may be his most famous car. The unique 'glass body, bubbletop, and single-stick steering/ brake/throttle was a smash on the show car circuit and moved rodding into a new direction in the '60s. Virtually all of the one-off "kustoms" of the decade owe their inspiration to Roth. The Bandit was built by hand on a modified Olds chassis and was powered by a blown Olds engine.

Bill Niekamp'29 RoadsterWhen the first America's Most Beautiful Roadster award was given in 1950, it went to Bill Niekamp's stunning track-nose A roadster, built in 1948. Riding on a '27 Essex frame with A crossmembers and powered by a '42 Merc flathead with Evans heads, the car was intended for street use and racing at Bonneville. In 1970, Jim Jacobs discovered the neglected roadster in a barn, rebuilt it (we followed the restoration in these pages), and drove it to the first Street Rod Nationals in Peoria.

Neal East '32 RoadsterFormer R&C staffer Neal East's Aztec Gold '32 roadster made the cover of our first full-size issue in 1961. It had been hot rodded five years earlier, treated to a new Chevy small-block and a lot of late-'50s style elements. East sold the car in 1961 in order to buy the Doane Spencer roadster. It changed hands a few times and was purchased in the '70s by Paul Sievers who restored it to stock, and then to its hot rod form. It's now owned by collector Richard Munz.

Jack Stewart "Polynesian" '50 OldsThe greatest customs of the '50s featured stripped-down (as opposed to embellished) styling, and the Polynesian is definitely among the greatest. Built at Valley Custom and finished in 1953, the car highlights all the best design elements of a '50 Olds, improved by a 4-inch section and some great paint. When owner Jack Stewart moved from California back to his home state of Ohio, the Polynesian went with him and was modified further in later years. We love it just like this.

Duane Steck "Moonglow" '54 ChevyThese days the backlash to high-dollar pro-built cars is low-dollar rides, built and shot at home. Duane Steck did it in the '50s with his '54 Chevy, called Moonglow. He chopped the top, shaved the door handles and locks, reworked the rear fenders, shot the appliance-white-and-light-blue paint, and ended up with one of the best-looking custom Chevys ever. Moonglow later went through numerous transitions, including a few Watson paintjobs. Unfortunately, it was eventually sold and crushed.

Spence Murray R&C Dream TruckDid you really think we wouldn't mention the Dream Truck? The project was started by our first editor, Spence Murray, during the first year of the magazine. It became the subject of numerous tech and feature articles in ROD & CUSTOM (including a full history in the May '03 anniversary issue) and perhaps the most enduring magazine project rod in history. Barris, Bailon, Winfield, Jeffries, Valley Custom, and many others contributed to the style of the truck, originally a '50 Chevy half-ton, over the years.

Frank Mack '27 T RoadsterOne of the most beautiful hot rods at the '02 Detroit Autorama was the Frank Mack roadster, which hogged attention from many brand-new cars. The T was built in the style of the dirt track cars of the late '40s, including tubular pushbars, 15-inch steel rims with brass knockoffs and '47 Hudson caps, and a Kurtis midget-style nose built from a pair of '41 Chevy front fenders. Now known as the Meyer/Mack roadster, it is part of Bruce Meyer's collection and looks exactly like it did half a century ago.

Joel Sheipe '51 OldsBuilt almost 40 years after the Polynesian, Joel Sheipe's slammed '51 Olds puts an up-to-date spin on traditional customs. When Joel couldn't dig up a convertible, he built his own from a hardtop with Joe Maneri doing much of the work. The stock frame was beefed up with a Camaro front subframe and Monte Carlo rear section, both ends Z'd. The Chevy 350 runs triple Rochester carbs. Persimmon-under-gold paint and oyster-and-coral tuck 'n' roll pull this cool, reliable car back to the heyday of customs.

McGee/Scritchfield '32 RoadsterIn 1946, it had a flathead. When Dick Scritchfield bought it in 1956, it ran a Corvette small-block. When So-Cal restored it for Bruce Meyer, with help from Bob McGee, the McGee/Scrithchfield roadster was restored to its early-'50s form. The clean and simple highboy is frequently credited with a few firsts: the first roadster with hidden hinges, the first street roadster with Zephyr gears, and the first metalflake paintjob. It has shown up in TV and movie spots and is the logo for the L.A. Roadsters Club.

Ed Sloan '53 PlymouthR&C contributor David Fetherston once pointed out that Ed Sloan's '53 Plymouth was one of very few early-'50s Plymouth customs to gain a lot of recognition until Troy Trepanier built the Sniper in the '90s. Not exactly similar to Sniper, the chop, frenched and molded headlights, custom Ford car and truck grille, sideskirt scoops, and two-tone green paint certainly must have earned this Barris-built beauty as much attention as Troy got almost half a century later.

Tom Pollard '29 A RoadsterOne of our original Young Guns was 22-year-old Tom Pollard, whose '29 A was the August '54 cover car. Straight as a laser and beautifully detailed, Pollard's roadster had many well designed features, such as the filled '40 dash with SW gauges spread the length of the cockpit, frenched door hinges, and a chopped swing-out T windshield. Originally red, the car was later finished in lime metallic with rust-colored flames at the Barris shop, and cycle fenders were added.

Buddy Alcorn '50 MercOne of the favorite and finest Merc customs from the early days was Buddy Alcorn's beautiful purple '50, featuring a just-right chop, full fadeaway fenders, frenched headlights, and side trim borrowed from a '55 Chevy and a '55 Dodge. Back then, the Alcorn Merc, originally started at Valley Custom, was featured in Car Craft magazine. R&C showed the car in the June '01 issue to report that collector Kurt McCormick had recently purchased it.

Dick Flint '29 A RoadsterThe Hot Rod Magazine cover from 1952, featuring Dick Flint's '29 roadster stopped at a crosswalk as a pretty schoolgirl walks by, is one of the most imitated photos in rodding. The car, built by Valley Custom, ran a rodded Merc flathead built by Vic Edelbrock and, in true hot rod form, ran at the dry lakes as well as on the streets of Southern California. The flattie was later replaced with a Corvette 283. Joe Sievers built a well-known clone of Flint's early rod a few years ago.

John D'Agostino '57 ChryslerMany of John D'Agostino's customs were considered for our list, since all of them have helped establish the style of high-end custom cars going into the 21st century. This style moves away from pure '50s traditional customs, and from '60s embellishment. The emphasis is on enhancing the lines of the car to make them more elegant. We finally chose D'Agostino's '57 Chrysler Imperial Royale, designed by Steve Stanford, Joe Aiello, and John himself. The car debuted in Oakland in 1987.

Troy Trepanier"Sniper" '54 Plymouth SavoyWe had a mountain of great Troy Trepanier creations to choose from. We selected Sniper, the Savoy with the 488ci Viper engine, because it epitomizes what has become a Troy trademark: a phenomenal custom rod built from typically neglected raw material. The totally custom chassis, sculpted interior, reimagined body lines, and dare-to-be-different theme make this car great. Like all of Troy's cars, Sniper was built to drive, which is what owner George Poteet did.

Posies' "Extremeliner"Ken "Posies" Fenical created this scratch-built woodie in the tradition of the great European coach builders, with styling cues coming from the Hispano-Suiza Xenia streamliners of the '30s, as well as some Thom Taylor artwork. The car was entirely custom crafted at Posies Rods & Customs over the course of six years and is like nothing we've seen before. We especially like the three-door body and the spindle-mount wheel covers.

Pete Chapouris "California Kid" '34 CoupeAnother rod that has been flattered by much imitation is Pete Chapouris' chopped '34 coupe. It first showed up, unfendered and unflamed, in R&C in 1973. Later that year it appeared on R&C's famous barnyard "Are Coupes For Chickens?" cover, finished in the familiar style. It got its nickname after its prominent role in the movie of the same name, starring Martin Sheen. The California Kid is now the property of Jerry Slover, the owner of Pete & Jake's.

Jim Jacobs '34 CoupeThe other rod on our famous "Are Coupes For Chickens?" cover in November 1973, parked near Chapouris' "California Kid," was Jim Jacob's fenderless three-window. We tested both coupes inside the magazine. Jake's ride, distinguished by its modified '37 Ford truck grille, Hugger Orange Kelseys, and Buick nailhead, rode on '34 rails, C'd, Z'd, and boxed. The four-link front suspension setup, a frequent choice today, was relatively new for the period.

Louis Bettancourt '49 MercIn addition to Hirohata, Sam Barris, and others, Louis Bettancourt defined classic lead sled styling with his '49 Merc. Chopped, dropped, and massaged by Gil and Al Ayala and painted at Barris Kustoms, the car featured '49 Caddy trim, frenched headlights, '53 Poncho bumpers with Kaiser bumper guards, and '53 Stude wheel covers on the outside, plus white tuck 'n' roll with maroon mohair on the inside. Louis ending up selling the car, which was changed around and later stolen.

John Buttera '26 T SedanWhen Li'l John moved from Funny Cars into rods, he became the father of innovation. His sedan from the early '70s, with a two-piece tubular space frame, handbuilt four-corner independent suspension, braided hoses, power windows, smoothed body, and minimal use of chrome, was a first step toward the high-tech trend, which Buttera continued with his '29 A roadster. The T was rebuilt by Li'l John and Fat Jack Robinson around the same period.

Jim Ewing '34 CoupeThe late Jim Ewing founded Super Bell Axle and used his Bonneville-style coupe for transportation and fun and to test various products. In addition to the original steelies with Moon discs and dirt track tires, we've seen it with Halibrand rims. It saw a variety of powerplants, including Buick V-6s, small-blocks, and big-blocks. The chopped and channeled three-window with the recognizable aluminum nose was radical looking in its day; it's still radical looking today.

Tom McMullen '32 RoadsterLike most rods, this well known Deuce underwent many makeovers but is well known for its black body with wild flames, laid out by Ed Roth and painted by owner Tom McMullen. The car appeared in Hot Rod Magazine in the early '60s, drag raced, ran at El Mirage, and became the symbol for Street Rodder magazine in the '70s. The retro look was not particularly popular at the time, but this highboy, with its Moon tank, mags, drag chute, and other classic touches, helped revive that style.

Marshall Chesrown"RealMad" '56 NomadRealMad, designed by Chip Foose and built by Steve's Auto Restorations, is one of the most prominent wagons in recent years and will be remembered as one of the classic customs of the '00s, along with the Chris Ito-designed NewMad '55. Unlike the typical resto treatment many Nomads receive, RealMad maintains the flavor of the wagon while modifying every bit of the car to create something genuinely original. Also cool: Marshall has owned this car since he was a kid.

Tom Prufer '34 CoupeGray Baskerville suggested in R&C that Tom Prufer's channeled coupe from the early '80s was the precursor to the '33-34s built by Boyd Coddington. Chassis builder Pete Eastwood, painter Rod Powell, and stitcher Ken Foster all contributed to Prufer's heavily louvered coupe (aka the Cop Shop Coupe), modeled after a Dave Bell cartoon. A '34 back half frame and deuce-style front end provided the radical rake, emphasized by serious big 'n' little rolling stock and a chopped top.

Jamie Musselman '33 RoadsterBoyd Coddington became rodding's biggest superstar during the '80s, creating some of the most innovative cars of the last 25 years. Jamie Musselman's '33 roadster was one of his first successes. The double-A-arm front suspension was built by John Buttera, and the billet rims were Boyd's start in the wheel biz. Done from a Thom Taylor illustration, the car won the AMBR prize in Oakland in 1982. R&C wasn't around at the time but revisited this early Boyd car in 1990.

Alexander Brothers '60 PontiacIn Detroit, Mike and Larry Alexander were building some of the coolest rods and customs of the '60s. We selected this candy gold '60 Pontiac, owned by Mike Budnick, which we first featured on the cover of our November '63 issue. The custom headlight housings, frenched dual antennas, rolled pans, and chrome tube grille were all elements that made this car a standout, not to mention the white rolled and pleated Naugahyde swivel buckets. The fine custom was recently restored by New Jersey's Lou Calasibetta...

Bobby Alloway SpeedstarThe Speedstar has created a new trend in rodding that started when Bobby Alloway created a 'glass replica of a Marcel DeLay body and Rats Glass began manufacturing the '33 Ford-inspired bodies. Alloway has created several outstanding Speedstars, but we really dig his Trackstar coupe-the track nose gives the whole car just that much more attitude. The lightweight Rat-powered car is a screaming ride. It was one of our 100 Best picks in 2001 and is still one of our favorite rods ever.

Boyd Coddington Led ZephyrBoyd earned another spot on our honor roll for Led Zephyr, one of his most recent and most extreme creations ever. The body, handcrafted by Marcel DeLay & Sons, is a piece of art wrapped around a Gabe Lopez interior and riding on an Art Morrison chassis. When this car first made the scene in 2001, it knocked everybody out, just like the Boydsters, Che'Zoom, Smoothster, AlumaCoupe, and every other Boyd creation that also could've made this list.

Chris Williams '49 Chevy CoupeChris William's West Coast car, built by Randy Clark at Hot Rods & Custom Stuff, impressed the Motor City and knocked out some heavy competition when it won the Ridler Award (and a few others) at the '01 Detroit Autorama. Clark managed to strip the Chevy to its barest elements but still keep the overall look of the car. Nicknamed the M-80 and loaded with an LS1 engine and Kugel independent suspension parts front and rear, the Viper Red Bow Tie really hauls.

John Milner '32 CoupeMilner is fictional, but the chopped five-window from American Graffiti is a real star. It was a wreck before George Lucas put it in his movie, and neglected afterwards, but the popularity of American Graffiti, the revival craze the film inspired, and the fact that the coupe-with bobbed fenders, and a 327 SBC with Man-A-Fre manifold and four Rochesters-had all the right early-'60s stuff, has made "Milner's coupe" one of the most cloned rods around. It was purchased by Rick Figari and rebuilt by Brizio Street Rods.

Richard Zocchi '57 BuickDuring the '60s and '70s, when customs were either getting goofy or falling out of favor, a handful of guys like Richard Zocchi kept an ember glowing with some cool customs, such as his '50 Merc and this chopped '57 Buick, modified with frenched '56 Olds headlights, '56 Packard taillights, and tasteful body mods. The car, painted Lemon Chiffon Pearl with Art Himsl scallops, won numerous awards for paint and interior and was Zocchi's driver for a time.

Gray Baskerville '32 RoadsterOf course we've included Ol' Dad's famous '32. Styled after R&C's first cover car, Gray's Deuce was built as a drag car in 1956. B-Ville took ownership 10 years later and drove it on the street for the rest of his life. He insisted on keeping it traditional: buggy springs, small-block, Powerglide, tuck 'n' roll, even the famous primer spots. Pete and Jake freshened it up in 1975, and Art and Mike Chrisman redid it again about three years ago. It is now owned by Jim Shelton.

Larry Watson "Grapevine" '50 ChevyLarry Watson was a Southern California rodder who learned to paint by hanging out at the Barris shop watching Dean Jeffries. Grapevine was Watson's personal driver and, according to Thom Taylor, the first car he painted. It is a great example of Watson's talent for eye-popping colors and crazy graphics that worked perfectly with the lines of the car. Watson sold the car in 1958, and there has been at least one replica built since then.

Rick Dore '36 Ford At the '98 Grand National Roadster Show we got our first eyeful of Rick Dore's stunning '36 Ford. Hard to believe this Westergard-inspired custom rod (that's a '40 Packard grille) was once a five-window coupe. The stretched hood, handbuilt running boards, shaved Zephyr rear quarters, and handbuilt Carson top add to the overall elegance. It's up-to-date and traditional at the same time. The paint is House of Kolor Custom Tangerine with gold highlights.

Andy Brizio '23 T RoadsterIn November 1970, we shot Andy Brizio's Instant T for our cover. The 'glass-bodied T, featuring a blown small-block and psychedelic pearl paint job, was that year's AMBR winner. Andy built a bunch of these cars and was one of the first pro rodders to sell street rod kits to do-it-yourselfers. It's not exactly typical of the rods of the day but definitely reflects the era, and Andy's Instant T kits were a precursor to 'glass replica aftermarket rods available today.

Orv Elgie '37 Ford Panel TruckCan the fat-fendered movement of the late-'70s be traced back to this good-looking, low-budget, and regularly driven '37 that appeared on our April '70 cover? Pat Ganahl hinted at that a few years ago. It's stock-looking on the outside, but the chassis is incredibly well engineered and detailed. Same goes for the engine compartment, where a 292 Chevy resides. Still a fat-fendered fan, Orv Elgie had a '33 Pontiac Vicky in Pros Picks at the '02 Street Rod Nats.

Orv Elgie '37 Ford Panel TruckHan the fat-fendered movement of the late-'70s be traced back to this good-looking, low-budget, and regularly driven '37 that appeared on our April '70 cover? Pat Ganahl hinted at that a few years ago. It's stock-looking on the outside, but the chassis is incredibly well engineered and detailed. Same goes for the engine compartment, where a 292 Chevy resides. Still a fat-fendered fan, Orv Elgie had a '33 Pontiac Vicky in Pros Picks at the '02 Street Rod Nats.

Jimmy Shine '34 PickupYounger traditional-minded rodders have caught flak in recent years for building poorly engineered, thrown-together cars. Jimmy Shine's chopped and channeled bare-metal '34 pickup, built the way a hot rodder might have built a car in the late '40s, got a ton of attention because it was remarkably traditional, handbuilt on the cheap using lots of salvaged parts, really cool, and extremely well engineered. We've seen a few Shine-inspired rods lately, but this was a true original.

Jimmie Vaughan'63 Buick RivieraIt was almost a toss-up between this car and Vaughan's '51 Chevy. We picked the bluesman's Buick because it's one of the few custom Rivs to actually improve on factory styling. The Gary Howard bodywork is understated yet extensive, including extended fenders, '68 Imperial headlights, a one-off grille, '65 Corvette taillights, and a sneaky 2-inch chop. The Skylark wires, stunning candy lime gold pearl paint, and pearl white rolls 'n' pleats cap off the spot-on '60s flavor.

Gene Winfield"Jade Idol" '56 MercIn 1990, we published a story on the restored Jade Idol, which Gene Winfield originally built in 1959 for LeRoy Kemmerer. Winfield did a beautiful redesign on the sectioned '56 Merc, adding '57 Chrysler rear quarters among other mods. Rod Powell did a reconstruction in the late '70s, before it made a showing at Oakland in 1979. Jade Idol changed hands several times, and when we ran our story, it belonged to Billy Belmont of Belmont's Rod and Custom, who had completed a restoration of his own.

Bill Cushenberry"Matador" '40 FordThe Matador was used by builder Bill Cushenberry to promote his shop. By 1961, the custom trend was moving farther away from original-appearing cars, and little about this one looks stock. The car is loaded with one-off elements, most noticeably the oval tubes used in the grille and fender scoops. The Matador was destroyed in a fire in the '90s but has been restored. Is this the link between trad customs and the kind of customs Roth and others would popularize?

Squeeg Jerger '41 FordThis recent custom '41 was inspired by a Dave Bell drawing. Squeeg Jerger's '41, built at Squeeg's Customs in Phoenix, features a modified original chassis, 5-inch windshield chop, extended nose, and fiberglass Carson top built by the owner. Chip Foose helped design the interior, which has '64 T-bird seats covered in white Naugahyde, plus a custom-fabbed center console. Squeeg's son, Doug, did a great job on the paint. To us, this recent custom is as exciting as many of the '50s-era cars.

Clif Inman '57 ChryslerWe liked Clif Inman's '57 Chrysler enough to run it twice-first in 1964 and with an update in December 1991. Built by Joe Wilhelm, the Chrysler's secret is its simplicity. Other than the top chop, there aren't any radical mods-just shaved trim, peaked fins, a tube grille, and slightly reworked taillights. Rod Powell redid the car in the early '80s for a mystery musician who collected customs but never showed them. The car is a reminder of how a little restraint can work wonders on late-'50s customs.

Bob Anderson'29 Ford A RoadsterOld meets new with Bob Anderson's recent Model A roadster, which could be considered a modern interpretation of a '60s show car. Evidence includes the Kandy Green paint, custom '62 T-bird quad headlights, white tuck 'n' roll, and Lancer caps right out of the old days. The tube frame is hidden beneath the channeled body. The Hemi under the hood sports an Edelbrock intake and six Rochesters. Not a classic yet, let's see if Bob's A is still making the A list in another 50 years.